Maternal Neglect and Alienation, in Faulkner’s the Sound and the Fury and as I Lay Dying

Maternal Neglect and Alienation, in Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury and As I Lay Dying

        In both The Sound and the Fury and As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner presents to the reader deteriorating mothers who both withhold affection towards their children and also express resentment towards their marital partners. In addition to these attributes, the self-absorbed Mrs. Compson maintains an obsession with the concept of family image and honor, to the point to where it becomes the downfall of her children, and Addie Bundren maintains a morbid fixation on death, as a means of freedom from the dreadful life she has been given.

        From the very beginning of the novel it becomes apparent that although Mrs. Compson is the biological mother of her children, she expresses no affection or motherly tenderness towards her offspring. Instead the primary role of caregiver falls to the African-American servant, Dilsey who provides the unconditional love that Mrs. Compson cannot seem to contribute. Not only does she refuse to show fondness to her children, but also she repeatedly declares that they are a punishment from God: “I

thought that Benjamin was punishment enough for any sins I have committed I thought he was my punishment for putting aside my pride and marrying a man who held himself above me…but I see now that I have not suffered enough.” (p103) She sees the actions of her children, as direct attempts to cause her anguish, revealing just how deeply egocentric she is. Moreover she constantly wallows in her own self-pity, and entertains the notion that she has been somehow been cheated in the life she was given. She repeatedly makes remarks that uncover just how deep her self-indulgence goes, such as, “ ‘I know, I know.’ Mother said. ‘It’s all my fault. I’ll be gone soon, and you and Jason will both get along better.’ She began to cry.” (p60)

        Much like Mrs. Compson, Addie Bundren also rejects the typical loving, maternal role in her children’s lives and instead usually keeps them at arms length and withholds affection. We witness early on, Cora’s criticism of Addie’s withdrawal: “A woman’s place is with her husband and children, alive or dead.” (p23)  The majority of what we know about Addie’s true feelings are reveled in her chapter, including her sentiments towards her children. “And when I knew that I had Cash, I knew that living was terrible and that this was the answer to it…I knew that it had been, not that my aloneness had to be violated over and over each day, but that it had never been violated until Cash came.” (p172) These cold and seemingly heartless views complete contrast with the nurturing warmth we expect most mothers to feel towards their young. Shortly afterwards Addie reveals her deep resentment for Anse: “Then I found that I had Darl. At first I would not believe it. Then I believed that I would kill Anse.” Then after Anse revealing his plan to

have more children, she expresses, “He did not know that he was dead, then.” This conveys her devastation she feels about her children invading her life, and how she completely blames Anse for her situation.

        Another factor that both mothers have in common is deterioration. Although Addie’s body is quite obviously physically deteriorating as a result of her death, her very essence and memory is deteriorating as well. Anse ever finds a new Mrs. Bundren at the end of the novel, shortly after burying Addie. The reader especially observes this with Dewey Dell, who is unable to spare many thoughts on her deceased mother since she is consumed with her own pregnancy problem. On the other hand even though Mrs. Compson is neither dead nor dying throughout the novel, she is very much a representation of the deteriorating Compson family. She is the last one in the family to place a heavy emphasis on old-fashion, southern culture and values. In addition regardless of the timeframe, she enjoys pretending to be overcome with sickness and spends a large part of the novel in her bedroom.

In contrast to the poor Addie Bundren, Mrs. Compson is trapped in the traditional southern principals due to her hang-up in regards to upholding the family image and honor. She holds her family name and reputation to be superior to those of lower class families. In Benjy’s section of the novel, he recollects her saying to Caddy, “He’s too big for you to carry. You must stop trying. You’ll injure your back. All of out women have prided themselves on their carriage. Do you want to look like a washerwoman.” She later goes on to demand that they not call Benjy by a nickname saying, “Only common people use them.” This illustrates how Mrs. Compson is very much stuck in the traditional